Political control of Teesside Town Halls was being decided today as tens of thousands of voters went to the polls.

All council seats in Stockton, Middlesbrough, and Redcar and Cleveland were being contested and voters in Middlesbrough were also choosing the borough's elected Mayor for the next four years from a field of four candidates.

Contests were taking place in one-third of the seats in Hartlepool.

Polling stations opened at 7am and will remain open until 10pm.

Turnout is likely to be lower in Redcar and Cleveland and in Stockton compared to the last elections in 2003. Then it was a full postal ballot in the two boroughs and both saw just over half the electorate voting.

Four years ago turnouts in Middlesbrough wards varied between just over 10% to almost 42% in Nunthorpe. The holding of the Mayoral election on the same day as the councillor elections this time could give some boost to turnout.